The present invention relates to a panel for raised floors. Conventional raised floors are constituted by a metal frame formed by pedestals which rest on a supporting surface and on top whereof modular panels of standard sizes are placed and conveniently arranged side by side.
In this manner, a gap is formed between the lower surface of the panels and the original floor and it is possible to arrange in the gap, for example, the wires of the electrical system, telephone connections, air conditioning piping, computer power supply connections, and other items.
It is in fact advantageous to install raised floors mainly because of the fact that in case of malfunction or maintenance the prefabricated panels can be easily removed to repair the system and can then be reinstalled in the metal frame.
The panels generally have a covering which is for example made of wood, carpeting, ceramic or stone, so as to make the raised floor fully similar to ordinary floors.
Most panels for raised floors are currently constituted by the assembly of a flat body, made of filler material, with metallic reinforcement plates the thickness whereof is a function of the intended loading strength.
The filler material consists for example of chipwood combined with thermosetting resins, or of calcium silicate with inert fibers, or of calcium sulfate with inert fibers.
The plates are preferably made of galvanized steel so as to increase the load-bearing ability of the floor, particularly when the flexural stresses produced by pedestrian traffic, the passage of trolleys or the weight of pieces of furniture or other static loads increase the load that affects the panels.
During their operating life, the panels usually have a severe drawback due to the fact that they slowly warp and form an upward-facing concavity.
This produces a discontinuity between contiguous panels which causes the edges to be raised with respect to the central parts, which have sagged.
Commercially available panels are currently constituted by an internal body which has a quadrangular structure the lateral walls whereof are slightly inclined, so that the only region of contact with the adjacent panels is constituted by the upper profile.
A type of panel constituted by an internal body with conveniently inclined lateral walls and provided, in a downward region, with a galvanized steel tray and, in an upward region, with a box-like cover is currently widely used.
This kind of panel for raised floors is assembled by bending the edges of the box-like cover so as to follow the side walls of the internal body and so as to close along the outer perimetric profile of the lower tray by means of interlocking engagements provided by means of first studs formed along the entire perimetric profile.
However, in order to be able to correctly arrange the panels at the heads of the supporting pedestals it is necessary to provide second centering studs on said folded edges of the cover. These studs can be produced for example by means of a press, in a per se known manner.
Unfortunately, the second centering studs are obtained by means of deformations which inevitably twist the panel, with consequent panel warping problems.
Another type of panel is currently used increasingly which is constituted by a box-like element made of galvanized steel which forms a bottom and side walls which are conveniently inclined and have edges which fold outwards.
The body made of filler material is arranged inside the box-like element and is then covered by a cover.
The edges of the cover are folded around the edges of the box-like element, so as to assemble the panel.
In this case, however, the useful space for resting the panel on the head of the pedestal is reduced considerably due to the bulk of the two edges folded together.
GB-A-2,187,219 discloses a panel for raised floors.
GB-A-2,130,615 discloses a floor panel, comprising a core enclosed in an outer shell which has a top plate slightly larger than the base tray of the shell, the top plate having side walls that fit over and around the side walls of the base tray.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a panel for raised floors having a structure which eliminates the above drawbacks.
Within the scope of the above aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a panel for raised floors which remains substantially unchanged over time without undergoing deformation and withstands even high concentrated loads.
Another object of the invention is to provide a panel for forming raised floors which is capable of withstanding a much greater load applied to the center of its side than conventional panels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a panel for raised floors which solves the problem of creaking produced by interference between the edges of contiguous panels.
Another object of the invention is to provide a panel for raised floors which can be provided with a simple structure by means of conventional processes.
This aim, these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are achieved by a panel for raised floors, as described and claimed herein.